The invention relates to radar systems, and more particularly relates to radar systems which are used in military applications. In its most immediate sense, the invention relates to military-type pulse compression radar systems.
Military pulse compression radar systems such as are used for tracking radar often use pulse expansion to optimally utilize available high-frequency energy and to achieve adequate distance resolution. When using such systems, it is frequently desirable to communicate with the object tracked. One such application is where the object tracked is a pilotless drone and remote control of the drone is desired; another such application is Information Friend or Foe (IFF) systems, where the tracked object identifies itself to the tracking radar and thereby enables the radar operator to determine whether the object is friendly (and therefore to be left unmolested) or unfriendly (and therefore a candidate for destruction).
For remote control applications, it is known to use a second supplemental transmitter to send control information to the drone. For IFF systems, a second unit is integrated into the radar system. In either case, the additional unit entails additional expense.